“We need to go get them. It will soon be dawn,” Canaan said, but he didn’t move from where he stood with his arm about Grace’s shoulders.
She read the note again and flushed a deep crimson. “When do you think they left? How much do you think they heard?”
“Are you ashamed?”
“No!” She responded so quickly Canaan laughed.
“Then it doesn’t matter. We need to go and tell them that we’ll be mated as soon as it can be arranged.”
Grace laughed with him and brought his hand to her lips. “Is this a proposal?”
“No, sweetling, it isn’t. It’s a declaration. You are mine and I’ll have every member of the Paenitentia know it.”
Chapter 36
Grace tucked her hand around Canaan’s forearm and walked proudly at his side. Christmas lights twinkled from shop windows and sparkled from the street lamps overhead. She grinned widely at her good fortune, then laughed aloud.
“I’m on a date, a real live date. Here I am on a normal Friday night, going to a normal restaurant with a normal… well, maybe not normal,” she laughed again, “but certainly good looking, guy. I’m walking down a busy street and there isn’t a single buzz in my head.” She pulled Canaan down to kiss his cheek. “Do you know how many times I dreamed about this? The bus I rode home from work went right by here every night and I’d see the people through the windows of the restaurant and I’d pretend I was one of them. I could see myself sitting by the window at a table covered with a red and white checkered cloth. My lover would sit across from me and we would hold hands and gaze into each other’s eyes and everyone who saw us would know how deeply in love we were.” She sniffed a little. “Pretty pathetic, huh?”
“Pathetic or prophetic? Maybe it was me you saw, although I’m not very good at making moony eyes across the table.”
“Moony eyes! Some romantic you are. You’re almost as bad as Dov.” She slapped his arm playfully. “You see ‘em, you want ‘em, you charm ‘em, you bed ‘em. Why waste good money on romance?” she quoted.
“Boy may have a point,” Canaan laughed. “You shouldn’t be bad mouthing him. He’s the reason you’re here.”
Grace laughed again. Canaan was right. A round of applause had greeted the announcement that they were to be mated followed by personal congratulations. Dov, as usual, put his own spin on things.
“Damn, Canaan, I don’t think this is fair. You didn’t even have to look for her, never mind all the wining and dining crap. You come home from a trip and there she is, sleeping in your bed. It doesn’t get any easier than that. You didn’t have to take her on a date or anything. Seems to me, a guy lands himself someone as perfect as our Gracie here, he ought to at least take her out to eat.”
Everyone laughed, including Grace but it made her think. Wasn’t she entitled to at least one date before the vows were spoken? She was and Canaan agreed. When he asked her where she’d like to go, Cappaletti’s was her immediate answer, a dream come true.
The familiar aroma of tomatoes, onions and garlic mixed with Italian herbs reached them a block away.
“Will the garlic bother you?” Grace asked. The twins had laughed at her the first time she asked about the pungent root. At the time they were eating pizza three nights a week. Garlic didn’t hurt them but it did leave them with a short term disadvantage. The strong odor temporarily interfered with their ability to track demons by their smell. They never hunted right after eating it.
“Tonight is for you. Demons be damned. I’ve been covering extra shifts for the last few weeks and I’ve earned a night off. If garlic doesn’t bother you, sweetling,” he kissed he lightly on the lips, “It certainly won’t bother me.”
He held the door for her then walked ahead to the hostess’ podium to check on their reservations. Grace stood a step behind him and leaned a little to get a better view of the dining area.
The shock was so great she almost screamed and bit her lip to stop herself. She choked and grabbed for Canaan. An attractive brunette came from behind the podium looking concerned.
“Is everything all right?” she asked. Her eyes darted nervously to the bar and Grace’s eyes followed. She gagged again.
She knew her face was pale. Sweat stood out on her forehead. Her hands trembled.
“Sweetling what’s wrong?” Canaan gathered her tight against him and rubbed her back.
She knew the hostess was still hovering behind her so Grace said the only thing she could think of to cover the truth.
“Pregnant,” she mumbled, “Sorry. Sick.”
“Pregnant! You can’t be pregnant.” Canaan seemed genuinely alarmed. “It’s not possible.”
“You’re telling me.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door. “I need air. Walk with me. Please. I don’t want to be sick in here.”
She was afraid to talk on the street and almost ran back to the car. She kept her hand over her mouth to maintain the illusion of illness and refused to answer Canaan’s questions until they were safely locked in the car.
Canaan knew she wasn’t pregnant and he was now sure she wasn’t ill. “What the hell’s going on, Grace?” he demanded impatiently.
“Demons. That’s what’s going on.” Her hands were still shaking. “The place was crawling with them. I counted six without trying. It was such a shock, Canaan, I’m sorry. I couldn’t say anything in front of the hostess and pregnancy was the only thing I could think of to cover my reaction. Oh god, Canaan. So many in one place. Do you think there’s more?”
“You did fine.” He laughed nervously. “Scared the hell out of me but you’re right, it was a good cover.” He reached out and placed his hand at the base of her neck. “Do you think you can go back in?” He felt her stiffen and massage the nape of her neck until he felt her muscles relax. “It’s important, love. We need your descriptions so we can follow them. With all the garlic, we can’t track them until they’re away from the building. This place is a perfect cover.”
Dinner was definitely not a dream date. Grace counted six demons, memorized their descriptions and then it was a matter of waiting until the meal was over. The wait staff was attentive which meant that any information she discovered could not be immediately shared. They were both mindful of Nico’s suspicion that humans were involved.
The food was excellent but Grace would have a hard time remembering what she ordered or how it was prepared. She couldn’t order the glass of wine she so desperately wanted to calm her nerves for fear of blowing her pregnancy cover. She smiled and nodded in response to Canaan’s innocuous conversation, though she heard very little of what he said. All she could think of was the possible danger that surrounded them. If they were discovered, the outcome would be a disaster. Canaan would be woefully outnumbered if the situation turned ugly. She stared off in the direction of the bar. A handsome, well dressed man caught her attention.
“Grace.” Canaan called her name just above a whisper and tapped the table by her plate. “Don’t wander off, love. We’re supposed to be having a good time.”
“Shit,” she hissed. “I think we’ve got a problem. There’s a guy in the bar that looks okay but he’s not.” She glanced at Canaan then back to the bar. “Canaan, call for the check,” she said slowly in a normal voice. “I have to go to the lady’s room. I’ll meet you out front.”
Canaan frowned. “Grace, you’ve done enough. Let’s go home,” he said and when she shook her head, “Then I’ll wait for you in the bar.”
“I need to use the lady’s room,” she said with more force, “and you’ll wait for me out front. You can’t be in the same room.” She caught a curious glance from the passing hostess and covered with a laugh. “Now he knows I’m pregnant, he trying to go all cave man protective.” She slapped Canaan’s arm playfully.
The hostess smiled but the smile never reached her eyes.
As Grace walked slowly through the bar, she opened her mind and let it wander over the humans and found nothing out of the ordina
ry until she caught the man who had drawn her attention. He didn’t look like a demon but to Grace’s eyes his figure seemed to waver. It was something she had never seen before and now she knew why. If his body wasn’t quite demon, his mind certainly was. Grace was glad her back was to him when the wave hit her with a malicious jolt. This one was more powerful than any of the others.”
*****
“I’ve been looking in the wrong direction.” Nardo pointed to the screen showing a street map of the city dotted with several primary colors. “All these blue points are our encounters. These others are compiled from various city offices. Now, look here.” He drew a circle around an area of the city with no markings and pointed to the center. “That’s Cappaletti’s.”
“Shit. They’re making sure the home turf stays clean.” Dov turned to Canaan. “These things can’t act human for more than a few hours. Half the time we catch ‘em because they don’t have the sense to hide what they’re doing. How’re they doing this?”
“They can’t cooperate,” Col added. “When there’re two of them they fight each other over the vic. Now we’re seeing three or more and they’re armed. Okay, most aren’t very good with weapons but how long before they are?”
Otto ran his index fingers over two areas of the screen. “Seems like the Mission District should make for easy pickings. Why is it almost as clean as mine?”
Otto patrolled the Hayden Park area five nights a week. It was still a pocket of poverty, but the drop in crime had made the news.
“There’s a turf war going on over there. Deaths are mostly drug related. I didn’t bother notating them.” Nardo looked embarrassed. “Maybe I should.” His fingers started their staccato beat over the keys.
“Good points and questions.” Canaan stood to address the crowded room. “As you know, the demons at Cappaletti’s weren’t on the prowl. At first glance, they seemed like normal human beings. Everyone was getting along. However, once I knew they were there, I was able to pick out five of the six. They were tense, watching the crowd, not socializing. Grace saw the sixth, but I couldn’t pick him out. He was sitting at the bar chatting with a human and yes, I said chatting. He was smiling, friendly, laughing at jokes. It’s that one and the one Grace almost missed that worry me the most. I want the whole crew watched and followed. Don’t engage unless an innocent is in danger. If they associate with humans, I want to know who they are and where they live.
Nardo’s in charge of surveillance. I want Otto in on it as well. Set yourselves up on the rooftops and stay in touch. Report anything you find curious.”
*****
“Why can’t you follow simple directions?” Abyar raged at his assembled crew. “You killed two of my humans. I need these people to operate my drug distribution. No humans, no drug sales, no money!” He paced the length of the living room unable to admire the fine furnishings he had acquired along with the restaurant. His frustration grew.
“These minions are hard to control, sire. Until they’re fed, they don’t listen to nobody.”
Abyar was deceptively calm. He smiled. “Why do you think I brought you over?” he asked, his voice low, pleasant, enquiring. “Do you think I went to all that trouble because I liked you and wanted to share my wealth with you? I hired you to herd the fucking animals!” His voice rose to a screech, his temper spiraling out of control.
He walked to the corner of the room and pretended to stare at the ridiculous picture of a crying child and a long haired dog with an ice cream spilled on the floor. The child should be banished and the dog eaten. What was the point? His fists were clenched so tightly the claws punctured his palms. If he didn’t bring his anger under control, whoever was calling him from the otherworld would locate him through it and use it against him until he answered the call. Someone more powerful than he wanted him back in the underworld and Abyar was determined to amass enough protective wealth and power to insure his position before he was forced to return. He waved Tyn over to his corner.
“They have to understand. No killing any human that belongs to me. See to it.”
Abyar stormed from the room in search of release. He found Andi in the kitchen. “Strip and bend over,” he ordered. The screams from the living room gave him no satisfaction. If there was blood on the carpet, someone would pay.
Andi did as she was told and waited, her hands braced against the counter. Since the claiming, no one had seen them in intimate contact but Abyar seemed to delight in choosing places where the possibility existed. Andi had tried to refuse the first time he made such a demand, but Abyar had become furious with her and threatened to invite an audience if she didn’t comply. She’d relented and now found the practice curiously arousing.
She knew their relationship wasn’t normal. Other people would call it abusive and in her heart of hearts, she knew this to be true, yet she loved Abyar. At his worst, he still made her feel wanted; at his best, cherished. He brought her jewelry he thought would please her, pretty clothes because she was his ‘queen’ and proudly introduced her as his wife to the restaurant patrons. He listened to her advice. In his own way, Abyar loved her and no one had ever done that before.
The first strike of his belt made her jump and cry out. The second was no less painful.
“I need this,” he growled.
Curiously, she needed it, too.
His hands caressed the burning stripes on her ass. “I need you,” he admitted as he entered her.
Andi smiled.
Chapter 37
Nico’s finger moved over the screen. “They have access to the building two doors down. None of them leave the restaurant at closing, but within five or ten minutes of locking up, the second floor lights go on in that building. About an hour after that, they come out in twos and threes. There’s a helluva lot more than what you saw in the restaurant.”
“We’ve got live feed at the front and back of the buildings and we’ve taped some interesting human characters coming and going.” Nardo waved his hand. “I know, you don’t have to say it, bad guys have to eat too, but two to four times a week in the same restaurant with no known ties is a bit much.” They could see his excitement as his fingers flew over the keys. Two other screens lit with scenes of the front and back of Cappaletti’s. He zoomed in on the faces of two men exiting the restaurant, a different one on each screen. He pointed to each in turn. “Drugs, alcohol. Five to twenty minutes after they enter, the lights in the Cappaletti apartment come on.”
Broadbent stepped forward. “Here’s something else. Cappaletti isn’t Cappaletti. The original died in a car accident along with his wife and children. The current is supposed to be a cousin, but when I researched it, no such cousin exists.”
“That’s got to be the guy Grace almost missed,” Canaan commented. “He’s got more power than the others.” He was still irritated that she’d made herself vulnerable to discovery when she opened her mind to them. If she could feel them, could they feel her? “Drugs and booze. What’s the involvement?”
“The place gets two types of liquor deliveries; daytime and after hours. I’m betting the daytime are legit. Twice a week they get after hours deliveries. The next night, we get demons carrying bags and boxes to the Mission District.” While Nico spoke, Nardo called up the proof on the screen. “Booze in, booze out. They disappear in the district then reappear without the goods. We can’t get close enough to see where the exchange takes place.”
Canaan nodded. “The liquor’s moving to the other world and the gate is somewhere in the Mission district. So here’s what we’ve got. A higher level demon who’s posing as a human named Cappaletti has found a way to bring over underlings…”
At breakfast he explained it to the others. “…and they in turn are running small groups of low levels, the ones we usually see. That’s why we’re finding them in twos and threes or more. There’s a handler and his animals and when we encounter them the handler is usually smart enough to run. The animals aren’t hard to replace. The handlers? I wish I knew
.”
“Blood.” Manon set down her cup hard enough to make the saucer rattle. She and Otto had crossed the alley to listen to the breakfast briefing. She rarely spoke of Paenitentia business and at that one word, everyone turned to her.
“You need blood to make the crossing, fresh blood. I have never done it, of course, but I have heard the process is not so difficult once the words are learned. It is a matter of power. The more power brought over, the more power is needed on this side. I think the opposite may also be true. As a child, I was told stories about Daughters who were taken. I thought they were cautionary tales to frighten us away from the dark arts, but now?” She shrugged.
Canaan frowned. “You’re saying that they’re working with a Daughter of Man.”
Manon nodded sadly and pushed her cup and saucer away. “A powerful one, but if she has fallen this deeply into the black arts, she is no longer one of us.”
“Can we stop her?”
“The simple solution would be to kill her.”
“And if we can’t find her?”
“We would have to find something that is precious to her and bind her power. It would take more than one of us to do this. It would take a woman with the power of spellcasting and a coven of thirteen and that would not be easy to find. The Daughters are reluctant to use their powers in such a way. It sets a dangerous precedent. I will see what I can do but I can promise nothing.”
“I appreciate anything you can find out.” Canaan looked to the others. “Keep doing what you’re doing. I need schematics of both buildings and the one in between. Can you get those for me, Broadbent?”
“I can do that. Won’t take but an hour or so.” Nardo was already heading for the door.
“No,” Canaan ordered as Broadbent rose from the stool in the corner. “You need to get yourself ready for tomorrow night. Broadbent can take this one.”
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